Mailboxes for receiving mail come in many different shapes and sizes. They are designed for outside use and, in many cases, are made out of metal. Multiple mailbox units are provided for apartment buildings and the like and for location in areas where a community has to collect mail. Multiple units generally have a fixed number of mailboxes, so this number is often either too few units or too many units. This is a disadvantage for a fixed number of mailboxes in a multiple unit. One example of a mailbox suitable for combining into a multiple unit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,703 to Blyakharov.
It is an aim of the present invention to provide a mailbox for receiving mail that can be locked and that has a removable inner container so that mail can be carried in the container into a residence. It is also an aim of the present invention to provide a mailbox for receiving mail that can be combined with other mailboxes to form a multiple unit. Furthermore, it is an aim to have an infinitely variable number of mailboxes to form a multiple unit, and to provide the ability to add more mailboxes or remove mailboxes so the total number of mailboxes may be changed to suit the number of users.
A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a durable plastic mailbox to withstand all weather conditions, preferably made of molded plastic and in one embodiment having a flap so that mail can be inserted into the box without having to unlock it, the flap providing weather protection to prevent rain or snow from being blown into the inner container.